Marked
by Sirenitie
Summary: For Noah, it's not unusual to accumulate scars when working as a soldier for Providence. However, Rex comes to vividly understand how strongly wounds affect not just those who bear them, but those who see them, too. Noah/Rex and background Holiday/Six
1. Chapter 1

Hi! Thank you so much for clicking and taking a look!

**Before anything, here's the** **SHORT CONTEXT: It's the future. Noah works for Providence, he is scarred up because he is badass, and Rex has a soul patch like Six.**

You could have found that out from the story, but this kind of assumes you already know that for reasons that if you want to know, read the long context, I just wanted to give you a heads up. Story starts after the first break!

**THE LONG CONTEXT: **AKA author blabbering skip if you want

This was written for a good friend of mine. On deviantart, I made a sexy picture with my version of Older!Rex and Noah together for yaoi day and I mentioned that I thought it'd be nice to do a fanfiction around the huge scar I put on Noah's back. She said I should do it, I said I would, and here it is (after two months in the making. Again. XD; )! 8D There's a little future universe I developed over there on deviantart where Rex and Noah are a little older and are coupled together. Holiday and Six are also together, and there is an extra character that you will catch a glimpse of much later in the story. I tried to write this so that those who aren't familiar will be able to get the setting, and that those who are acquainted with this universe will enjoy this expansion of it. 8D I hope it works. xDD

If you might be interested in seeing more of the context this fic is in, check out my deviantart! I'm also listed as sirenitie there (there is also a link in my profile).

XDD Sometimes I have to laugh at myself for writing stuff like this. XDD But, it's so much fun. 8D So, I'd like to say that I would sincerely welcome any constructive criticisms. I'd really like to know how I would be able to improve, and I would appreciate the time taken in any efforts to help me.

I really enjoyed writing this. XD I hope you will enjoy reading this! Thanks for taking a look!

PS obligatory plug : If you want to find a Generator Rex fan community, how about checking out Providence Playground? It's a small, but active fan forum that loves new members! Take a look! providenceplayground. proboards. com

PPS Er, if you've read any of my past fictions, please keep in mind that this is a separate universe from "Today" and "Yesterday"... Thank you!

* * *

><p>The day had been mild.<p>

It was too mild for it to be right. It seemed so inherently _wrong_ for the day to have been as beautiful as it was.

Solemnity filled the air. The thickness of it overshadowed the sun, and its brightness felt foreign. Even though it was desert, the heat receded to a cool breeze, but the kindness of it went unnoticed.

As the sun was setting a procession stood at the cliff's edge. A unit, quiet and still, stared straight ahead to the silhouette of Providence headquarters. Numerous spaces between the soldiers' places gapped their positions as they held formation. In perfect synchronization, the soldiers saluted to no one, and behind them, bullets were fired into the sky.

The sun set. The sky darkened.

* * *

><p>Rex sat quietly in the dark, waiting.<p>

His legs stretched over the covers. He pressed his back against the wall. His eyes unfocused, and he thought.

He didn't go to it today. He was too busy fighting. But, he was thinking about it the whole day long. He hated to go to memorial services, but he always felt the need to go, even if they had little to do with him.

The door in front of him slid open, and Noah walked through with a heavy sigh in the dark. He looked too burdened in his formal uniform. He didn't look like him, Rex thought. But it probably wasn't because of the uniform.

"Oh- Rex," Noah noticed him, "How long have you been here?"

"Not too long," Rex shrugged "How're you doing?"

Noah planted himself onto his bed. When he leaned forward, his shoulders hung.

"You know," He murmured, "Okay."

"...At least it doesn't get any harder," Noah cracked a smile. It had been the fifth memorial service he attended since he became a superior officer. Even though most days at Providence were exhilarating and rapturous, they were still just people fighting a war, and there were inescapable consequences.

Rex moved forward next to Noah, gently placing an arm over his shoulder. He leaned in against him and pressed his lips against Noah's cheek.

Noah inwardly sighed. He couldn't escape his responsibilities, but at least the weight wasn't always so heavy. He turned his head towards Rex.

A brief quiet passed. Rex could tell Noah wanted to say something, anything, to readjust himself to his default, to his standard smiling humor and sarcasm. But, on days like this, the effort seemed too difficult. Even Rex couldn't bring himself to say anything, so he simply turned and kissed his friend

It was all he could really do. It was chaste, comforting, and all that was needed.

When they broke, Rex leaned his forehead against Noah's. He looked at him in the dim light with a small, careful smile on his lips. Noah looked back, grateful, and smiled. He let out a small and tired chuckle.

"...When are you going to shave that?" Noah looked at Rex's chin, "I feel like I'm kissing Six sometimes."

Rex looked at him, surprised and taken aback. His smile grew and he ran a thumb over the little Six-styled soul patch growing under his lower lip.

"Wait. Hold on, how do you know what kissing Six is like?" Rex leaned back and raised an eyebrow, "Aw man, Noah. Bored of me already? That's just cold."

Noah laughed and swung a punch at Rex. Rex grinned as he set a hand on Noah's shoulder, "You might want to break it off, though. Because... I hate to break it to you, buddy, but he's married."

"...AW really? Geez, you're right, what was I thinking," Noah laughed again and rolled his eyes, "My dreams are ruined."

Rex ran a hand down his face with a grin, "Heh. Think I might need to scrub my brain."

"Yeah," Noah shook his head, "I think I do, too."

"Quit trying to kiss my dad, Noah!"

They laughed. Rex and Noah doubled over as they laughed loud and unrestrained. Finally, Noah felt the terse weight in his head break. He needed that more than anything, today. He couldn't be grateful enough for Rex right now.

When their laughter calmed, Noah fell back over his bed and yawned. Exhaustion was rapidly and heavily hitting him. He stretched his arms out and shoved a pillow under his head. He closed his eyes and contentedly murmured, "All right, get out of my room, Rex."

Rex smirked, fell back, and set an arm over him. "Nah," he replied, "Think I'm gonna crash here."

He looked over at Noah, who was already half asleep, "Hey. You're not even going to change?"

"Nah," Noah replied, and rolled over.

"Okay, well," Another smile started to play on Rex's face, "...You know your shirt is coming off."

"Whatever," Noah apathetically shrugged and sleep-mumbled, "Do whatever you want."

Rex grinned at Noah's indifference, and started to strip his clothing away.

Even though Rex happily undressed him, it was really just for Noah's comfort. He hated sleeping in uncomfortable clothes himself, and really just disliked seeing people do the same, especially after a day as long as theirs.

Buttons opened and folds came loose as Rex slowly removed the uniform coat and dress shirt underneath. Noah lightly snored as Rex gently pulled his arms from his sleeves and mumbled when he tugged off his heavy boots.

Noah slept soundly as he was reduced to his pants and tank, completely unaware of anything happening. As Rex kicked off his own boots, he turned to look down at Noah. He couldn't help but smile like an idiot.

Honestly, Rex thought, it was so easy to look at him sometimes. Noah may not have been the best looking guy in all the world, or even in Providence (Rex was sure he had that title anyway), but sometimes... His eyes just seemed to naturally wander onto him. And it wasn't because of want or hunger or longing, but because, well, it was Noah. That was the only explanation that Rex could come up with. As far as Rex was concerned, Noah just had one of those faces. Not that he had ever really encountered one of those kinds of faces before, but that wasn't the point.

He just liked looking at him.

Even in the low light, Rex found it easy to focus on even minute details. The curve of his cheek. The tussle of his hair. The part of his lips. The angle of his nose.

_The scars on his face._

It wasn't often that he could catch a moment like this, and he savored it. Even though Rex lived off of a continuous rush, of an unending flow of high spirits and energy, he had to admit he liked these quiet times. Sometimes he felt simple in them- like there was only them, and their only responsibility was to exist for those few moments.

In the past, quiet only came with solitude, and with solitude only came painful thoughts and questions. Although, when Noah was beside him, he could only think of how fortunate he was and how good things were for them, even with the necessary pains and sacrifices of this life.

Rex reclined and tucked his arm underneath the extra pillow. Noah shifted in his sleep and faced him.

He laid a hand on Noah's cheek and gently traced the scar on his jawline.

_The sacrifices of this life._

Scars. Noah had so many scars. Smaller, almost indistinguishable ones were flecked across his face like freckles. Larger ones laid across his arms and pointed out from under the thin fabric of his shirt.

Rex sighed. Those scars. He couldn't reject them.

Noah was reckless, even more so than Rex in battle, but he was tough as he was brilliant in combat. He took risks, overrode orders, and even when so many plans laid out in destruction, Noah's results were remarkable. The only evidence of any missions' imperfections were left over Noah's skin. Still, those scars meant something. Rex looked at them again.

Noah was a living tally board for the lives he saved. Rex couldn't reject those scars. He slowly smiled.

It was hard to believe that just a few years ago Noah's skin had been so pristine. It was hard to believe that once, he was just a low ranking officer fresh from Basic. It was hard to believe that at one time, he was just a friendly stranger, offering to buy Rex a soda one evening.

He passed his hand through Noah's hair.

It was hard to believe sometimes that they weren't always like this. It was surreal sometimes, to think that there wasn't always this weird, crazy, and amazing understanding between them. But at least it came eventually, although they felt stupid that it had taken them so long to see it. It was hard to think it had only been barely a couple years that they had been like this.

Noah.

Rex stared at him in the darkness.

He was grateful for Noah.

He left a kiss on his cheek and laid an arm over his friend. As Noah settled into him, Rex tilted his head down and fell asleep, too. Then he yanked and hogged all the blanket.

* * *

><p>The shower was running. Hot water woke Noah up for his daily routine. He had his regimen to tend to, and his assignment for the day was leading some units onto new patrol routes. Even though yesterday had been so heavy, everything continued to run as usual. In this line of work, there were no days off, even for grieving.<p>

As Noah walked out of the bathroom and dried his hair, his bed sheets beeped. Rex snored and turned over while his cell phone dropped off the side from Noah's bed, still beeping and buzzing angrily.

Noah picked up the phone and answered it, "Hey, Six."

Rex's ears twitched and started to wake him up. He mentally groaned, but if it was his cell phone and not his communicator, whatever it was must have not been urgent.

"Yeah, you're right, he's here. I found him passed out on my bed when I got back last night. Then, I woke up freezing because he took my sheets. He's a real leech sometimes."

Rex snorted.

"Heh. Yeah, no kidding. He was even drooling."

Rex tossed his pillow at Noah's back. He dodged it.

"Uh huh. Yeah. Okay. I'll let him know when he wakes up. Later, Six."

With a beep, Noah hung up. Rex sat up, drowsy and messy and annoyed. He wiped the side of his mouth, "I wasn't drooling. Quit embarrassing me Noah, geez."

He shrugged, "Next time, answer your own phone." Noah grinned as he sat down next to Rex.

"You're a real jerk sometimes."

"Hey, I just learned from the best," Noah cocked an eyebrow and smirked. He turned his head to a small pile of clothes sitting in a chair. "Hey, what's with my uniform over there?"

"Oh," Rex shrugged, "I was going to fold them but then I remembered I don't know how to." He scratched his head, "So I just put them over there."

Noah laughed, "At least I don't have to wear that one today."

"So," Rex snuck an arm around Noah's shoulder, "What was Six calling me for?"

"Said your physical's been pushed up a little because Holiday has a meeting she has to get to. Got to report at 8, now."

"Aw, man. That's too early."

"Well, you're up already."

"Nah. Doesn't count," Rex slid his hands into Noah's damp hair and ruffled it, "I'm going to go back to sleep."

Noah laughed, shaking his head, "Man. You still act like you're fifteen..."

"Heh. Sometimes I wish you still had the hair you had when you were fifteen. It's too short, now. You looked kind of like a war-hippie then."

"Yeah, well you're the long-haired war-hippie now." Noah shoved Rex's hands away and they both laughed.

They talked in the little time it took Noah to dress. The clock soon ticked onto the hour, Noah and Rex exchanged a kiss, and they said their goodbyes ("Later!"). The light was shut off behind Noah, and Rex fell back onto his rumpled sheets. He looked up at the ceiling and thought for a moment.

Noah at fifteen, or sixteen- whenever he met him... That long hair. That old army jacket. That youthful sarcasm (Oh wait, he still has that). It really didn't seem all that long ago, but it had been about five years now.

...Huh.

Five years. Rex paused and thought.

That almost was his whole life as far as he could remember. His furthest memory went back to about six years.

Six years of life.

The only life he knew was built in only six years. Because, the other lives of him- the ones that lived the fifteen years before him... He couldn't remember.

It was like those versions of him never existed, as far as he knew. They disappeared. He was a separate Rex.

Before he could stop himself, a chilling realization trickled up his spine: This life now. It could disappear, too.

It could all only be temporary.

Rex closed his eyes. It wasn't really a realization, but more like a reminder. The doubt in his head was a permanent weight in his thoughts, and he suddenly became aware of it again. Even while every day flowed into the next as it should, Rex knew parts of him were still missing, and he couldn't do anything about it. Even while old, hazy memories played anew sometimes, it didn't mean he'd keep them. It didn't mean that his memories now would still be remembered tomorrow.

It wasn't fair that his own head could eradicate his life so easily. His mind and its voids were a terribly close source of fear.

Rex shook off the small, anxious panic in the back of his head. Solitude was so annoying. He had to pick himself up. He had to be positive. The threat of an impermanent memory made his life all the more vivid. Every day was amazing in some way, whether he was along for the ride or he made it so himself. Every memory was valuable, even those that were mundane and boring. There were always reasons that made them worthwhile to remember... Reasons like the people in his life.

Even though he hated to admit it, he was a sap like this. But, it was the only thing that kept him afloat. Six, Holiday, Beverly, Bobo, Cesar... Noah. These people, the people he knew in his life- they were the reasons his memories were worth remembering.

They were the reasons he couldn't let this life be temporary.

Rex stared back up at the ceiling. He ran a hand over his face and through his rough hair. Sleep, he thought. He then turned over, pressed his face into his pillow, and fell back asleep.

* * *

><p>Noah ran through the streets, dodging debris as EVOs ravaged the city. Beside him, a building collapsed as one of four giant worm EVOs burrowed through the structures.<p>

_"Major Nixon! I think that damage just opened up an alternate entrance on your 7!"_

"Roger that!" Noah pressed his communicator into his ear as he ducked into a pit beside him. An EVO rumbled behind him, unaware of his presence as it moved away.

Noah slipped into a bigger gap below him and repelled to the ground. As his foot touched the floor, his flashlight faintly reflected off the distant walls, and his light was swallowed up in a long stretch of darkness.

"Agent Evans, what's the status on your position?" Noah aimed his rifle, just in case.

His line opened, but he could only hear static.

"Captain Jones, what's the status of Evans?"

_"Building's running some sort of interference, Sir,"_ Kenwyn answered over the static, _"We can't determine what it is yet."_

That was strange. The structures in this area shouldn't have had frequencies that overtook Providence communication. But, it was all the more reason to check out Evans's call on strange activity. They had to be on the lookout for anything the EVOs may have triggered.

Noah looked up and around him. It seemed he had come into a large tunnel much like a subway, although it was without tracks. The more he looked around, the more the space looked like an aircraft hangar. The walls were smooth and polished, but looked like they hadn't been touched for years.

"Captain Jones," Noah called as he looked down the two directions between him , "Where is-"

_"Head north, straight ahead, Sir."_

Noah stopped for a moment, amused that she couldn't even wait.

"All right," he smirked, "Thanks, Kenwyn.

He took off again.

The tunnel eventually lead to an elevator with a single button. Although he had no idea where it would take him, Noah unhesitantly slammed it. As the pressure on him increased, he could feel he was being bulleted up to a high floor.

In his ear, his communicator crackled. More and more interference filled Noah's earpiece.

When the doors slid open, the bright lights of an executive office flooded in. As Noah stepped out, the elevator closed behind him. When he looked back, it had already blended seamlessly into the wall. It was like it didn't exist.

Faintly, Noah could hear and feel the rumbling of the city below him as the EVOs tunneled through the streets. Around him, desks and chairs were overturned. Papers were in a disarray and everywhere. The employees had dropped everything to evacuate for their lives.

"Evans?" Noah spoke into the static. He thought he heard a faint voice, but he couldn't be sure.

"Evans!" He yelled out into the office.

"Major! Over here!"

He followed the sound into a corner room, where a wall had been obliterated. Inside, a small annex room had been hidden away full of monitors, screens, and keyboards. Agent Evans sat at a large computer, looking terrified.

"I think you need to take a look at this, Sir."

On every screen, shaking windows flashed an ominous red. Lines of data and code filled window after window on the monitors, but on top of them all, there was only one window whose words Noah could understand instantly:

_SELF DESTRUCT._

* * *

><p>Rex jetted through the suburbs of the city to the heart of the fight. He was overjoyed, finally happy to see some action outside of medical examinations and briefings. Apparently it was now a big enough problem that he had to be called into it.<p>

"Tsk, Noah," He laughed to himself, "Can't handle even EVOs like this without me, huh?"

As Rex flew in, he could see the ruins left by the attack. Below him, agents were struggling to contain the EVOs as they thrashed.

Just as one of the EVOs reared its head up to attack, Rex landed a punk buster square onto its head. He jumped back, triumphant.

"Yeah! Take THAT you oversized garbage-eating maggot! And don't you- Oh man I just totally grossed myself out with that mental image..."

As the EVO recoiled, another charged up towards him. He threw a punch with his smack hand and it went flying back. When it lay defenseless, Rex set a hand on it to cure.

Soon, three EVOs were reduced to three people, and carted off to medical care. Rex looked around for the last one, but it was nowhere in sight. The ground still rumbled, but he couldn't tell the direction it was moving towards.

"Hey," Rex spoke into his communicator, "Anyone got any clue where where the last thing went off to?"

A fuzzy voice answered, _"No, Sir."_

"Ohhh..._Kay._Well, any clue where Noah went off to then? Wasn't he supposed to be leading this?"

_"The Major's whereabouts are un-""REX,"_ A fuzzier voice interrupted the line, _"Noah's up north in the Revelations Tower."_

"Kenwyn," Rex started to jet up, "Why's he up there?"

He pressed on his earpiece trying to search for Noah's usual channel, but he only received static.

_"He was checking out some suspicious activity_ -chssh- _we lost communcation_ -cssh- _him."_

"All right," Rex called out. He kept his hand to his ear, scrambling his nanites to find some sort of in-between frequencies that Noah might be open to.

Rex couldn't sure, but he then felt that something was off.

"Noah? Noah!" He kept yelling as he flew closer to a large, shining sky scraper. On the side of the building, the words REVELATIONS GROUP LLC were inscribed in gold. The closer he flew to it, the more static his communicator picked up.

"Noah!" He kept yelling. He tried to squint his eyes to see any sign of him though the windows, but all he could see was the reflection of the city.

_"_-CSSHH- _REX."_Finally!

_"_-CSSHH-_-EX. DISABLE _-CSHHHHH-_ENERATORS _-CSSSSH- _POWER C_-CSSHH- _-OP OF THE _-CSSHH- _-VELATIONS _-CSSSHH- _-UILDING._"

Without a thought, Rex made a sharp turn up to the steepled top. When he landed on a platform, in front of him were huge, hulking power generators that were strangely enormous and foreign. There was no reason at all for an advertising firm to need this kind of power. And, as far as Rex could tell, these power cores weren't the only ones. Maybe he could shut down the rest from here if they were connected. He set his hands on it.

Inside, Noah and Evans frantically typed away at several monitors. Red, flashing lights still dangerously flickered overhead. As Noah typed overrides over and over again, he angrily wondered _why an entire building had been converted into a nuclear bomb._

Outside the annex room, the lights flickered and died. Evans looked up as he typed and Noah breathed, "Rex took care of the main power supply."

Another flashing command window popped up and Noah mumbled, "We only have to worry about half the city being blown up now."

Noah could feel a faint rumbling. Since the alarms went off the building itself had been quietly shaking, but the extra rumbling was different.

"Evans, check that out," Noah kept typing.

Outside, down below and hundreds of feet from Evans and Noah, was the last EVO making its way towards them.

On the roof, Rex dusted his hands while the generators were still slowing down. Noah's voice shouted in his earpiece. _"_-CSSHH-_REX! _-CSSHHH- _EVO!"_

The static was getting worse.

_"_-CHSSSH-_-OT LET_-CSSSHH-_-MISE INTEGRITY_-CSSSHH-_-UILDING! _-CSSSSH-_- REPEAT. _-CHSSSSSSHHH-_OF THE BUILDING._ -CSSSSHH-_"_

Rumbling. Even all the way up here he could feel it. He looked down over to the side and saw the fourth EVO, bigger than all the rest, tunneling through the streets towards them. In the distance, he could see Providence helicopters making their way towards the building.

Rex signaled them with his smack hands, and jumped down, jetting towards the EVO. He didn't know exactly why, but all he knew was that Noah needed him to keep it away from that tower.

Noah's blood was running cold, his fingers were going numb as they flew across several keyboards. As each blaring red window greyed and closed, smaller and smaller prickles of relief edged over his nerves. The more windows closed, the more voices he could hear in his communicator. He let out a small breath. _He might actually be able to get out of this alive._

The code in the programming was older than he was used to, and as far as he could tell, this program should have been disabled. He could think of no other reason that it could have been set off but by the resonating frequency those four EVOs produced when they traveled. The waves their movement produced must have been just right to trigger something. It was a freak chance.

Noah's hands shook as he pressed the ENTER button and the last window receded. He breathed as he leaned back, adrenaline still pumping. The lights turned off. The screens calmed. He had stopped it. His heart beat.

"Sir?" Evans asked cautiously.

The rumbling below halted. But, Noah could still hear something.

A long beep was resounding.

"Sir!"

On a small screen down and to the side, one more red monitor flashed.

"EVANS! Get down!"

_SECURITY BREACH._

The response was delayed.

_UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS._

All Noah could hear was a quiet ringing in his ears.

Down below, an explosion shook the ground. Rex looked up, cold, to see a floor completely blown away.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>It was surreal. It was dreamy and hazy and all at the same time, as vivid and far more real than Rex ever knew.<p>

Before he realized it, he found himself staring at the wreck of charred walls and furniture around him. There was absolutely no thought in his head as he overturned pieces of tables and cabinets.

"Noah!" He called out into the office, "Noah?"

He heard a cough from the side, and rushed to it.

"Help!" A voice called out. But it wasn't Noah's. "Help!"

Rex found Agent Evans, taking refuge under pieces of a desk. He held his broken arm in pain.

"Evans!" Rex helped him to his feet, "What happened? Where's Noah?"

"I-I don't know, Sir! Something about a bomb a-and I thought we were clear but The Major told me to get down and-" Evans looked around frantically, "I don't know where he is. He pushed me out of the control station before himself."

Rex gulped. "...Right. Go wait at the windows. Providence medics should be here soon."

A pit wallowed in Rex's stomach. His eyes followed a trail of cinders across the walls. He ran to where blood dotted the corners of the office.

Grimly, he pulled aside a pile of chairs and debris and. found Noah, lying across the floor still and quiet.

He had never seen more blood on him in his life.

"Noah!" Rex dropped to the ground in a panic, "Noah!"

Cuts slid across his arms and his shoulders. His uniform was sliced to pieces and his hair was matted in drying blood. Worse yet was the exposed, gaping flesh down his back. Rex set a shaking hand on the side of Noah's neck, checking for a pulse, and held his breath.

He was alive.

Rex's chest heaved; Noah was alive.

But he was losing blood too quickly.

He could hear the sounds of other agents boarding the floor. Help was coming for Noah.

The rest was a blur.


	2. Chapter 2

In the medical bay of Providence, there was a continuous whirlwind of people passing all around him. It seemed like minutes passed by when it had been hours instead. He sat there for so long, waiting with his head in his hands outside of Noah's room. Even when the commotion died down, and it was dubbed that Noah was stable, access was still denied. He still waited outside his door.

Before Rex knew it, the day transitioned to the conference hall. He found himself staring at White, angry and tired and sleepless, trying to calm himself down. But, he couldn't help it. He was angry- angry that everything had to happen to Noah.

"WHITE," Rex shouted, "I want some answers."

"So do I, Rex."

The large screens on the side of the hall opened up data on the building.

"It seems that entire building was created to store several tons of nuclear weaponry, including acting as a former base to several missiles," White read off.

"In the middle of New York City."

"Yes."

"Why?" He couldn't keep calm.

"That is precisely what we're trying to find out."

"Well, find it out faster! I want to know exactly WHY MY FRIEND ALMOST _DIED _OUT THERE." His demeanor broke. Rex pounded the panel in front of him. Fatigue drove into his eyes as he hunched over and clenched them shut. All he could feel was anger filling every single blood vessel inside him.

Noah. Why- _Why did it happen to Noah? _Why?

_It was so stupid!_

"Rex," A firm hand grasped his shoulder. Rex lowered his head, trying to contain himself. Six looked at him.

"Acting like a child will not help Noah recover. You need to calm down."

Rex looked hard at Six, and threw a punch into the console one more time, "Fine."

He turned away, and left the stern faces of White and Six behind. Reason would be lost on him now.

* * *

><p>He walked down the hallways of Providence, not really sure where he was going. His mind had become so foggy, and all sense of him had become disoriented. Even though he was angry- just angry at all the world and its circumstances, he slowly and begrudgingly came to realize that Six was right.<p>

Even though he didn't want to hear that there was nothing he could do, that all the rage and anger was useless, he still couldn't help but feel so bitter.

Although, Six was right, Rex repeated it in his head. Six was right. He didn't want to be wrong, but Six was right.

Rex was calming. That's right, it was true. Being upset like this wouldn't help Noah... It wouldn't do anything, and all that really mattered was that Noah was recovering now. Even knowing the answers as to why that building was there or how it came to be- that didn't actually matter. None of those answers would be of any use to him right now anyway. His mind had just went off without him.

As he walked past doors and entrances, Rex felt another, kinder, hand grasp his shoulder. He turned to Dr. Holiday.

"Rex," she said, "How have you been doing?"

Crazy. Upset. Insane. He looked and her and tried to smile, "Okay, I guess."

He had to breathe. He couldn't be too angry when she was around.

"What are you doing down here by the aircraft deck?"

Rex looked around, suddenly realizing where he was, "Uh. That's a good question. Dunno. What about you?"

Dr. Holiday smiled, "Trying to find you. I wanted to tell you that Noah's doing better now. You can go see him."

Rex's eyes widened. Suddenly it felt like those past sleepless hours disappeared, and he smiled, exuberant and genuinely. "Y-yeah?" He started to take off, leaving Dr. Holiday surprisedly behind, "Thanks, Doc!"

* * *

><p>Rex pushed open Noah's door without hesitation when he found it unlocked. He nearly burst in, and then suddenly found himself stopped dead in his tracks. Despite the fact he knew he was going to be fine now, he couldn't help but be torn up when he found Noah lying there.<p>

Machines. Tubes. Bandages.

Noah slept, his breathing accompanied by the soft puffs of several apparatuses. Heart monitors beeped and pinged in the background. Rex approached him slowly feeling instantly brought down from his temporary euphoria.

He knew this scene. It wasn't like it was the first time he saw Noah in a hospital bed, but this- this was _so much_.

He was hurt worse than Rex thought.

As he looked at Noah, he could only repeat in his mind the terrible, bloody state he had found him in. He had seen him scratched, cut, bruised, broken, and on several occasions even stuck with minor impalements... But he had never been so close to death before.

It was all Rex could see inside his mind.

He looked at Noah's face. He slept quietly. Just two nights ago, Rex thought, he had been staring at that face. Noah looked so serene, despite the bandages that covered so much of him.

Rex touched Noah's forehead. He brushed the stray strands of hair from his temples. The blood in his hair had been washed away.

His hand trailed down the side of Noah's face, and Rex touched the scar that laid over his jaw. He glanced over the rest of him, and back to his face. Another bandage wrapped around his neck. Looks like more scars would be added to Noah's collection, he thought.

Rex examined Noah as he stood at the side of his bed. He looked on at him with a quiet worry and a disbelief that something like this had to happen to him. He delicately touched the blotched bandages that covered his arms to his wrists, and gently covered Noah's hand with his.

"Noah," He whispered to himself. Noah didn't deserve this. Rex couldn't help but feel so utterly helpless.

"Rex," Dr. Holiday called from the door.

He lifted his head and looked at her, trying to smile, "Oh, Doc- Uh..." He looked back onto Noah, "Sorry for running out on you like that. It's, uh, it's just that-"

"No, it's all right," She nodded, "I understand."

Rex's thumb brushed over the back of Noah's hand. He stopped for a moment, "So. When do you think he'll wake up?"

Holiday looked at Noah and hesitated, "It's... Too early to tell."

"But, he'll be fine, right?"

"Yes," Holiday stepped closer to Rex, "He'll be closely monitored and given the utmost care every day. I'll see to it."

Rex breathed. "Thanks, Doc." It really was a relief. He didn't trust any other doctor more.

Silence passed. Rex looked on at Noah as Holiday kept a steady eye on Rex.

"...Supposedly Noah's going to be promoted several ranks because of this," Holiday said softly.

"Hooray."

"Rex," Holiday set a hand on his shoulder again. He turned towards her and she pulled him into gentle embrace. "He will be fine. Just have faith."

Rex nodded and hugged her back. "...Yeah. Yeah," He leaned his head down to look over at Noah. He quietly whispered.

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>The following weeks came in a mix of a rush and a standstill.<p>

Even though Rex wanted nothing more in the world than to sit next to Noah as he recovered, missions still had to be finished. Lives depended on him.

He trained, he worked, and barring the times when he couldn't, he fought.

But it was difficult when his mind wandered and he relived those terrible and bloody moments all over again. Even when he received the answers for why that day had to come("In the 70's, the US government commissioned it. The tower was the last response should any experimental virus procedures go wrong."), Rex found he didn't care. It already happened.

Still, when the day was finished and he was at least half-coherent, Rex often found his way back to Noah's room in the medical wing. On most nights he ended up sleeping in the chair next to him.

For the first few weeks when Rex stumbled in and crashed into the short, uncomfortable visitor's chair, he usually woke up with a blanket over him and a note from Dr. Holiday ("Rex, please take care of yourself. Sleep in your own bed next time."). But, they eventually stopped when the little chair was replaced with a couch next to Noah's bed.

One by one, Rex found little comforts that were slipped into Noah's room for him. An extra pillow, a nice blanket, sometimes coffee greeted him in his early mornings.

Although he often talked with Holiday on Noah's condition when he met with her, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. It was like she was hiding something. Whenever he looked around to see the little things that had been set there for him, he felt like there was less hope for Noah to wake up any time soon. There was a strange queasiness in his stomach because of it. He didn't want to be in this for the long haul, but yet- here he was, continuously sleeping in the hospital wing.

When the weeks went on, Rex felt more and more restless. Noah should have been healing well by now, and probably even awake, but there was no new progress for him. Worry started to control his thoughts, and his builds were becoming weak.

Day by day, Rex felt a little more of himself unraveling.

The charts yielded no change. The security, reassurance, and comfort Rex found in Dr. Holiday and her kind nods during check ups dwindled as other doctors slowly began to take her place ("I'm sorry, but Dr. Holiday is feeling ill again today."). Even Six became more and more scarce in assignments and training sessions. No one told Rex anything. He worried.

The people around him. The life he knew. Something was crumbling.

There was an unbearable feeling of alone slowly taking over.

He couldn't stop it.

* * *

><p>Rex sat in Noah's room. He grasped his face in his hands and let out a low, long groan.<p>

Time drained so much of him. His builds stopped working. Knight was furious.

He was yelling that day how weak Rex's efforts had been- that his performance had taken an astronomical drop as of late. He said it was a mistake to have let Noah join the ranks if all he was going to do was distract Rex.

Although he knew White was saying that just to agitate him, Rex contemplated climbing up to Knight's office bubble and smashing his face in himself. But, his exhaustion seeped into him too deeply, and it would have made him feel better only temporarily.

So, he was dismissed for the time being. Tests would be run on him, procedures would be performed... But not now. Rex dodged the appointments and check-ins other doctors offered.

Noah's room was quiet. The rhythmic beep of the monitors broke the silence, but they were no more comforting than the absolute quiet for Rex's thoughts.

Noah. That was all Rex could think about. Noah.

How could it have possibly gotten this way? Rex wondered. How could so much of himself be invested into another person? It was like half of himself was missing. Wasn't he always free? Even when in a relationship like this with Noah, wasn't he always able to break away? To be his own person and be able to tell where one ended and the other began?

It just snuck up on him. Their personalities were so integrated. Things flowed so seamlessly that he didn't realize it was happening...

Rex looked over at Noah and stared. He looked hard at him, lying in his bed. His face- this picture. Rex couldn't sort and differentiate the emotions in his head. Devastation for Noah, helplessness to help him, sheer and utter fear of losing him... And shame that he hadn't protected him.

That was stupid, though. Noah didn't need protecting. Rex knew that. He wasn't some delicate flower to fawn over. He was capable- more than capable; sometimes he was downright brilliant with the things he did when he fought.

As well more than anything, he was Noah. And Rex loved him. Not just in romance, not just in friendship or any other context he knew, but he just simply loved him. Purely and truly. He loved him. He loved him more than he thought he knew before, and he couldn't do anything for his friend's life.

Rex's eyes traced over Noah's face. He looked gaunt, skinny. Thin whiskers edged over his cheeks and jaw. He looked old.

When they trained, Six often said to Rex that balance was key. When balance was achieved within the fighter, then focus could be reached. When focus was reached, the goal could be obtained. When there is chaos within the fighter, there is no control, and the fighter defeats himself.

Nine times out of ten, Rex ignored it. He thought he lived off of the chaos around him, off the continuous haphazard of events that occurred on a day to day basis, but now... He understood.

The more he looked at Noah, the more he realized how much Noah complemented him entirely and gave him balance; he gave him the calm that unknowingly kept Rex together. He was reason when Rex was too idealistic to care. He was strategy when Rex was brute force. He wasn't afraid to be humble when Rex was too proud.

They were opposites in so many ways, but they fit. Friendly clashes were never surprising and always unavoidable. Yet... They always seemed to flow together so easily.

Rex gulped in a realization. He _needed _Noah. There was so much of him tied into his friend, more than he knew before. Even if Noah didn't need him as much as he needed Noah... He didn't want to let him go.

It was selfish, but he didn't care. Noah had become a permanent fixture in his life, and he wouldn't allow anything to change it.

He kept looking at him.

How did so much of himself end up hinging on a single person?

A person he felt so close to losing.

Rex pressed his face into his hands again. This was too much.

The doors in the corner slid open and Rex looked up, not wanting anyone to see him looking as weak and despondent as he was.

"...Six?"

"Rex," Six nodded. "Thought I'd drop by to see how you've been doing."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure you can see exactly how I'm doing. Knight pretty much shoved me aside since I'm useless right now."

"So I heard."

Six walked over to Noah's bed. He looked down at him.

"Haven't seen you around much," Rex murmured.

"Rebecca..." Six hesitated, "Has been needing rest when she can."

Rex nodded. It was a mysterious, unsettling answer. As usual.

They quietly looked on after Noah. No thoughts passed.

Six turned and settled a hand against Rex's shoulder. It was formal, tough, but Rex knew it was all the comfort Six could give.

"I'm sorry I can't be here more for you, Rex," Six softly said, "But right now, you have to put your trust in him."

Rex looked up at Six. He felt worn, tired, ragged, and he felt that there was hardly anything left in him but anxiety. Although, Six was right. Rex had trusted Noah with his life countless times before, but he had to trust him now more than ever. He had to trust Noah that he'll be okay, that everything will turn out fine.

"Heh," Rex half-chuckled, "You always know when to say the right thing, Six."

A smile played at the corner of Six's mouth, "I try."

Rex's eyes settled back on Noah.

Trust. Balance.

So much depended on Noah. So, he had to trust him.

"...I swear, if you die on me Noah, I'll kill you..." Rex whispered and weakly chuckled. Noah probably would have thought that was lame. Six couldn't stop a small expression of hope for Rex.

That moment, one of the doctors came in. He was a prim, professional man. He walked towards Noah's charts and a station with several machines. Noah was checked in on several times of the day.

"Rex," he said and nodded. When he caught sight of Six, he stopped, "Oh- Agent Six," and he nodded to him as well.

As the doctor looked through Noah's charts, Rex turned his head to him, "So, how's Noah doing today?"

The doctor flipped through several pages, "The usual, Rex. Everything seems normal. Just-"

He stopped.

He picked up another readout. And another. And another. He checked the monitors and machines.

Rex stared at him, suddenly feeling a little tense. "...Doc?"

After a long pause as the doctor read the information again, he pulled a small communicator from his lab coat.

"Prepare the OR for an emergency surgery."

Rex jolted. He stood up as the door burst with a small crowd of people, "Wait! What-"

"I'm sorry, but you need to move out of the way," The doctor moved him aside as others began unhooking Noah from several machines. The group started to wheel his bed out the doors.

Panic. Rex was starting to panic, "No, wait, what's going-!" "Six," The doctor interrupted, "We need Dr. Holiday. She's overseeing The Major's status."

Six nodded and tilted his head towards his communicator, "Dr. Holiday, Noah's going into red and you're needed."

He turned back to the doctor, "She's just down the hall. She'll be here shortly."

The doctor walked out the door before Rex could even gather his thoughts. Rex chased after him to the hallway, "Hey! No, wait!"

He grabbed his shoulder and turned him around, "_What is happening with Noah?_"

The doctor slipped a mask on himself and shoved his shoulder away, "There's no time to explain, Rex!" He mumbled as he walked into the surgery room, "-Must have already been harboring that internal damage..."

Rex stared at the swaying double doors in front of him, frozen.

He didn't know what he could do. He couldn't move from his spot.

He was barred, hearing only clattering and quick discussions just beyond the doors. When Dr. Holiday was escorted in, bombarded by a swarm of colleagues and staff on the subject of Noah's condition, Rex could only hear words like "bleeding," "worsening," and "critical."

He tried to get to her- to get some answers, but the crowd shoved him away. Six held him back silently as the group moved into the doorway. No answers. No acknowledgements.

All he could do was wait, now. Clamoring faintly echoed through the door.

Rex clenched his fists against it. He shut his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

Desperation. Fear. Uselessness.

He could hear just beyond the doors fast murmuring and commands. He could hear movement and footsteps concentrated in a single place. The tighter he closed his eyes, the harder he focused on a single signal. A beep steadily pulsed from behind those double doors.

As long as it kept going, Noah was fine. Rex breathed. He was alive, still.

Just trust them. Just trust him. It'll all be okay.

Every pulse came with a sigh of forced relief.

He had never known a stronger fear in his life. Every second was uncertain, and he had no power to change it.

His nails dug into his palms as he pressed his fists into the door. All sense and reason told him to stay out- that doing anything at all would just hinder all these efforts to save Noah. But, every single cell and nanite in Rex's body just kept telling him to _do something._

Panicked, loud, and frantic yells started to emit from inside. Rex forgot his reason. He could only understand that the machine pulses were slowing down.

Another yell. Despite Six's efforts, Rex forced himself through the double doors into the prep room. He reached his hands out to rush into the OR. Thin doors blocked his way, but he burst through.

For a second, it was quiet.

And then it pierced.

It was a long, single, aching tone.

Rex couldn't see him.

The sound was deafening.

As his mind blurred his vision, time moved slowly. He saw Holiday yelling at the crew. He didn't know what they were doing, but they were scrambling. Forms unfocused. His nerves iced over. The thin, monotonous screech of the heart monitor filled his mind and muffled out every sound around him.

Gravity interrupted and overturned his balance. He saw Six's arm come down around him as the room started to tilt. His vision faded into a bright, searing blue as he unconsciously reached out towards the operating table.

Noah.

_Loss._

His head was splitting. The realization tore through him.

**There was no way back.**


	3. Chapter 3

Insanity. Fear. Anger.

_The world slowly came into existence. Again._

_Knowledge formed. Concepts and ideas he understood about life were there. But, him, who he was...?_

_Blank. There was only his name._

_When he opened his eyes, Rex saw a man in green and black staring at him. Rex spoke the only words his brain could process right now._

_"Has vistas mi bicicleta?"_

Resistance.

Angry.

He was so angry.

_He rode through the thick greenery, and yelled at the top of his lungs._

_"WOOOO! HOOOOOOOO!"_

_He circled around the trunk of a tree, screaming and shouting as a flock of monstrous EVO birds dispersed into the high ceiling of Providence. As he dodged a hard turn, a vine caught the back of his ride. He was tugged back, and then launched as his build shifted back to him._

_Rex landed hard into the muddy floor. A red-eyed plant looked at him._

_"Okay, you win this time, Blinky."_

It wasn't possible. It shouldn't have happened.

Faces shifted in front of him.

Rage.

Stinging.

_He struggled with a cowlick. He grunted and tugged and pulled while he yelled to tame it. Formal occasions were a pain, but he agreed to what he agreed and there was no backing out._

_Holiday came in. "Go to the prom, and have a great time," she said. Disobey orders, but still kind of follow them._

_Rex leaned against the counter in his room. He flashed a smile. "So, Holiday. You're not jealous I'm going out with another woman?"_

_She laughed as she turned away and walked out the door. Rex grinned and assured himself._

_"Oh yeah. She's jealous."_

He only understood rage.

Injustice. There was no reason to it.

Walls cracked.

Faint booming.

_The doors to Cesar's lab whooshed open with a puff of orange smoke._

_"That's the LAST time I ever wanna 'see' your experiments, pal!" Bobo coughed and dusted himself off, "-Uh! Hey! What's the deal! This orange stuff ain't comin' off!"_

_"...AH!" Beverly gasped, "He's right!" She rubbed her skin and pulled out a compact mirror, "I'm orange!"_

_Rex and Cesar stumbled out of the orange fog. Rex pulled up his goggles and waved away the lingering dust, "What?"_

_Beverly put the mirror up to his face. It was stained a much brighter orange, with the exception of the large, clean circles where his goggles covered his eyes. "...Oh man! I look like I got in a fight with a bad spray tan and lost."_

_Cesar looked over his notes. He lifted his goggles, and the contrast between the day-glo orange tint and his skin were starkly hilarious._

_"Hmm. Curious. I suspect that, in my haste, I must have glossed over a detail in the equation," He flipped over his clipboard. "Who knew making cheese puffs had such a small margin of error?"_

Noah was gone.

Pain- physical pain gripped him. Even though he had no idea of time or place or reality, he hurt.

His vision was too blurry to make sense of anything.

Cracking.

_Outside. Soda machine._

_"So, want a soda?"_

_"It's on me," he held up a couple bills, "I'm Noah."_

Cracking.

_Hotel. Darkness. Rex grinned. Meters._

_"This is a stupid plan, Rex."_

_"Trust me, it's going to work!"_

_"Like how your scary-movie-and-cling plan worked? Look at this place! How do you know this whole thing isn't just gonna fall on us? How do you know no one's gonna call the cops? Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned this before, THIS IS A STUPID PLAN, REX!"_

Breaking.

_Gym. The crowds cheered. Scoreboards changed._

_The ball flew towards Rex. He pounded it._

_Snap! It was served back. It bounced. It rocketed. It was going out of reach. Noah jumped up. Rex boosted. Noah soared and hit it._

_The ball zoomed back to Noah again. It was Rex's hit. He barreled in. Noah dodged when Rex swung at it._

_Point. They won._

His unclear consciousness was fading.

Was this...

_Providence halls. Certificates in hand._

_"Well, you're an official Providence Grunt now, Noah. I wanted to be the first to officially welcome you," Rex held his hand out, "I give you three weeks."_

_Noah smirked. He shook it, "Didn't I outrank you when we were in Basic the first time?"_

Deep disorientation. Destruction.

Something was disappearing. What was happening?

Identity...?

What was this uncontrollable **anger?**

_"Noah, I know you like me, too."_

_"..."_

_"Come on. I'm your best friend, remember? Even though it's hard to believe, I pay attention. So, what do you say?"_

_"No. Way. Remember how Knight blew a fuse when he found out about Six and Holiday? He's not going to like two MORE agents getting involved with each other, and I don't want to be kicked out right after another promotion!"_

_"Noah. FORGET about Knight. He'll get over it. I'm asking YOU."_

_Noah looked at him and thought._

_"...And if it doesn't work out, we'll forget it ever happened, right?"_

_"Right."_

_"...Okay. But you know it's not going to work out."_

_"Well, I figure why not give it a shot," Rex put his arm around him, "See, that's what I like about you, Noah. You're always so optimistic. So, how about a kiss?"_

_"Don't push it."_

Fading. Loss. The edges were breaking.

But, something was constant.

_Those scars._

Noah.

He knew him. He knew him, still.

_"I'm just sayin'!"_

_"I'm gonna kill you! I'm just sayin'."_

_"Promise me I won't be buried in this tux! I'm just sayin'."_

_..._

_"Better high-tail it out of here, Rex."_

_"Yeah, I'm gone."_

_..._

_"Wait for it..."_

_**"AHH!""AAH!"**_

_"... Still. Waiting."_

_..._

_"What? This? It's just a flesh wound, Rex. Yeah-yeah, ow-ow-OW! Okay, yeah, maybe med bay is a good idea..."_

_..._

_"Maybe my hard efforts deserve a reward, Agent Nixon?"_

_"Heh. That's CAPTAIN Nixon to you, Rex. And you still owe me five bucks."_

_"You're the worst girlfriend ever."_

_"That's Captain Girlfriend, Agent. Forget it again and I'll double it."_

_..._

_"Don't. Say. A word, Rex."_

_"Pff...Snck...Heh...G-"_

_"I SAID-!"_

_..._

_"Yeah, yeah! Okay! Man. I-love-you-too-Rex. There. Now how about doing your job kicking EVO tail?"_

Noah.

_The curve of his cheek. The tussle of his hair. The part of his lips. The angle of his nose._

_His scars were hallowed._

_"Rex."_

Noah.

Rex's own name sounded... Foreign.

_"Hey, Rex."_

Who was that? The name was becoming unknown.

But the voice was familiar.

_"Rex?"_

It was Noah's.

Noah...

_"Rex!"_

Noah...?

**"REX!"**

That wasn't Noah!

* * *

><p>Piercing. The light sliced through his eyes.<p>

Pain.

**"REX!"**

Reality.

Rex gasped. He tried.

Forms focused. His nerves woke up. Force restrained him. He couldn't breathe.

Six pinned him against the wall. He was angrier than Rex had ever seen. A cut ran down his face.

"Six!" Rex's chest heaved, suddenly realizing air. He could see beyond Six's face the carnage which laid all around.

It was not the surgery room, but some strange and unfamiliar hallway. Pieces of his metals and builds piled in scraps. Pure and senseless destruction had torn through. Alarms and red lights blared through the remains of hallways.

A sea of agents grouped behind Six. Rex looked down the barrels of their guns.

"Six...?" Rex hoarsely murmured.

The grip on him loosened, but Six still held him back. He turned to the group behind him. "STAND DOWN."

"Six," Rex breathed, "...What happened?"

He looked back at Rex and said nothing. Rex could feel an undercurrent of Six as he pinned him there. He couldn't pinpoint why, but he knew. He felt it. Six was trembling.

He spoke.

"You almost **killed** everyone that was trying to save Noah."

_Killed...?_

Disbelief. The words sunk in, and Six's voice sliced him deeply.

He-

He almost killed people. He almost killed Holiday- the doctors.

The destruction. He had no memory of it, but.

But it was the truth.

That hateful, endless, and chaotic anger quenched, but it was replaced with a horror.

Memories. _His_ memories were slowly starting to fade back in. The Rex he was still existed, although he was ashamed for it. As he turned his head away, he felt the sting of where Six's weapons made contact. Haphazard scrapes and cuts burned over his neck and body, but none were deep enough to pierce.

He looked at Six again, the understanding set into his head. Six's grip still wavered.

Six was going to kill him, wasn't he?

He had lost himself, so it was Six's job to kill him. Rex's eyes unfocused.

"Six..." Rex muttered, "I'm sorry, Six."

He lost himself. Knight's paranoia finally became justified.

This anger. This chaos. This complete and absolute grief.

He lost himself.

Because...

Because Noah was dead.

"Noah." His mind was consumed with one name. It tore and shredded every single thought.

Rex's voice was weak and dry as the memory resurfaced, "Noah's..."

"Alive."

Six's hold on Rex eased and he stood. His nerves buzzed.

"Rex. They saved Noah."

Dumbstruck.

His thoughts reprocessed. He felt himself breathing.

"..._Alive?_" Rex whispered.

The world came crashing down. Gravity overwhelmed him. The Earth suddenly tilted horizontally again.

The relief was too much.

"Rex!" Six called him distantly.

His sight faded to black.

And it was okay.


	4. Chapter 4

His unconsciousness was still tumultuous. Although, it was now more restless than it was torturous.

It was a light, uneasy sleep, and his dreaming shifted depths.

Somewhere, some time, his eyes squinted open. Rex was still unsure of what had actually happened or where he was now, but all he knew was that everything was at least going to get better somehow.

Through his fuzzy vision, the world was tinted orange. His breathing thinly echoed inside his oxygen mask. The more he gained consciousness, the more he realized he was in an unfamiliar chamber.

His skin felt strange. It felt like metal and grit and erosion. He couldn't move out of weakness.

He breathed deep. His head lulled as he saw Holiday beyond the glass. Her back faced him as she spoke to the large image of White Knight on the wall. He yelled, although Rex was unsure of what he said.

Holiday yelled, too. She pounded on the panel and hunched over. Six moved beside her while Knight kept talking.

Just as he said another word, his eyes glanced at Rex, and he stopped.

What? What was happening, now? Rex's mind wandered and suddenly panicked. The look on Knight's face was a sudden and angry disquiet.

Holiday and Six turned their heads. Holiday started to rush towards him in his chamber. Rex's mind was soon racing- racing too fast for his head to handle. Pain started to ebb through as the shock started to course in his mind.

Rex closed his eyes. It hurt.

He heard Dr. Holiday's voice, "Rex! Rex!"

He breathed deeply.

Her voice was muffled through the glass, "Keep calm, Rex! Everything will be fine..."

The sound faded as Rex lost consciousness again.

What would happen this time?

* * *

><p>Was Noah still all right?<p>

* * *

><p>A week passed, and Rex woke to a full consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he jolted upright; his body shocked itself awake, suddenly realizing it existed.<p>

The room was normal. It was a perfectly ordinary infirmary room. Rex looked at his hands, his arms, his skin.

Nothing. Everything seemed absolutely fine.

He clutched his head in relief. What happened? What happened? What happened?

His memories were fuzzy and haphazard. He could remember he shut down, but he couldn't remember what switched him off.

His body ached. There were no bandages on him, but there were places on him that still stung.

What happened? That was all he could wonder. _What happened?_

He tried to remember. His head ached as he dug through to his memories. There was a short panic that he had been slated clean again, but- but that couldn't be. Because he knew he was him, where he was, and a vague idea of what happened. So... That couldn't have been it.

He just couldn't recall the past few days... Weeks? Just how long had it been?

Rex hung his head down. His head pounded. Just probably needed a lead to...

...Noah.

Rex gripped the sheets. He remembered.

He died...!

His chest heaved and-

No.

He didn't.

...Right?

Rex swung his legs over the side of his bed and pulled the machine attachments from his body. Monitors and computers beeped in panic, but Rex ignored them. He walked as he moved past his door. His pace sped as he turned the corner. As he went into another hall, he started running as fast as he could. His body was still in shock and weak from whatever happened, but Rex forced himself past surprised staff and down hallways. He ran, barefoot and cold in his medical dressings.

Noah was alive, right?

His blood pumped as he made a turn into a familiar hallway. The door was open. Did it mean that Noah was still there...?

_What if he wasn't?_

_What if he just dreamed it?_

Rex skidded to a stop in the doorway. His breath was heavy as he looked in.

"Oh, hey, Rex."

Noah spooned out another bite of pudding and smiled, "Nice dress."

He was fine.

Noah was fine. It wasn't a hallucination, right?

Noah was fine. Rex unconsciously gulped as the thought settled into his head.

Noah looked at him, and Rex slowly cracked an unsure smile back.

It was true. Noah was alive. And he was awake. And eating pudding. His stomach untwisted and his smile gradually evolved to a grin. Yeah. Noah was fine.

"Well, I was so jealous of yours that I had to find a way to get one too." He walked over to Noah's bed. Everything felt kind of unreal. He leaned against the low railing, "You okay?"

"I think I should be asking _you_ that," Noah half-smiled. "Holiday told me you went total mega-EVO. Said that you were real close to being reset again."

Rex breathed, "Yeah. I was. I could feel it." He clenched his fist, "But... I can't remember what happened, but I can still remember everything else. I don't think I lost anything."

Noah smirked, "That's good. You only just completely destroyed the entire west med lab."

Rex shrugged, "Bet Knight's gonna lose his bleach and cookies next time he sees me."

"It's a possibility."

Noah paused to shoot his empty pudding cup into the corner trash bin of the room. He aimed and launched it. Although his throw was weak, it tumbled in easily. "Yes!" Noah laughed, "Been out of the game, but I still got it."

He turned and looked at Rex, still smirking that stupid smirk.

Rex focused on him. That smirk.

It was that one, that Noah one, that Rex became so accustomed to. It was that stupid, teasing, inside-joke smirk he loved. It was like he only saw him like this yesterday. Rex reached out to him.

He slid his hands through Noah's hair and ruffled it, "Heh. So, when are you gonna get a haircut? You look like a hippie again!"

"Well," Noah ducked his head down with a chuckle, "Yeah, guess I've pretty much been a pacifist lately."

They laughed as Rex jostled Noah's long hair. He looked younger again. He looked like Noah again.

Rex's laughter soon quieted, and his smile lessened. His hands slipped gently through Noah's hair and past his ears. He leaned his forehead down against Noah's as his hands settled behind his neck. As they closed their eyes, Rex could hear Noah's quiet, steady breathing. He gradually felt Noah's hands come to rest over his arms.

There was a soft, tranquil silence for a moment. Rex swallowed a lump in his throat and took a deep breath.

Noah. Here was Noah.

He wasn't gone. He was here. Right here.

Rex slid his arms over Noah's shoulders as he leaned in. He felt Noah's hands shift and settle on his back. Rex bent down, and Noah leaned his head against his neck. Rex breathed again.

He wanted to crush him into himself. He wanted to make sure he couldn't be pulled from his grip. He wanted to never feel useless to Noah ever again.

Noah held onto him tighter. He could feel Rex's shaking breath against his chest. He clutched him as strongly as his strength allowed.

For a moment, they said nothing. It was silent as the same thoughts kept running through their heads over and over again.

_That could have been it._

_But it wasn't._

_It wasn't._

_It's fine. It's fine. It's fine._

_Everything is okay._

Rex tilted his head against Noah's neck. His grip on him softly tightened. He gravely whispered, disbelieving.

"Noah. You were _dead._"

Noah flinched and clutched him closer.

"Yeah," Noah murmured, "I was. Five minutes, Holiday said."

"What was it like?"

"...Can't really say. I think I knew I was dead, though."

"Good you didn't let it stay that way," Rex mumbled.

"Yeah," Noah chuckled, "I knew you'd kill me if I died from some dumb explosion."

Rex laughed against Noah. He remembered his same thought. It was uncanny.

He loosened his hold and leaned down against Noah's shoulder. Relief. He let it soak in as he smiled. There was pure, undiluted relief. This was what was real now, and nothing else mattered.

Noah was here. He was okay. He was fine!

Rex couldn't stop smiling. His grasp happily tightened around Noah's shoulders...

"Ah-hm," A soft cough came from the corner.

Rex and Noah turned their heads to Dr. Holiday in the doorway.

"Rex, I would appreciate it if you alerted the staff before climbing out of bed and wandering off." She gave him a dry smile, "Especially after the ordeal you went through. Those machines were recording some very precise data on you until you ripped them off."

Rex's face turned a little red as he reluctantly pulled from Noah, "Sorry, Doc." He glanced away for a moment, embarrassed. He suddenly realized Noah's hand hung onto his. He squeezed it. "It's just that-"

"Rex," She interrupted, "Really. I understand. But, we're going to need to test you further very soon. You were in a very unstable, very violent state, and we don't know if it'll resurface again for whatever reason."

He nodded, "Yeah... Yeah." He looked at her and gulped, but she smiled gently.

"So... Doc," Rex was kind of hesitant to know. "You think you could tell me what happened? How long was I out for?"

"Well, you were unconscious for about a week," Holiday nodded as she walked over. "And, it seemed that the stress your mind and body have been taking for the past few months accumulated and broke during Noah's last surgery..." She took Noah's file from the end of his bed and looked through, "Then your nanites became highly unstable and mutated you into an EVO form similar to the one Six first found you as."

Holiday crossed her arms with another dry smile, "And then you destroyed the west medical labs."

"... Um- Oh." Rex stared. That seemed to make sense with what he could remember.

"Wait, how is Six? He was trying..." Rex looked down, "He was fighting me, wasn't he? Is he okay?"

Doctor Holiday was quiet for a moment, "He sustained some injuries, but he's fine, now."

Rex cringed. At least he was okay. Noah gently gripped his hand and cracked a smile.

"Heh. So you finally landed one on Six. It just took an EVO mutation to do it."

He had to suppress a smirk, but smiled when Holiday chuckled. Six really must have been okay. Yeah, it was a relief.

He turned back to Holiday and smiled to her too, but she hadn't seen. She was looking through Noah's file again. As she flipped a page, Rex suddenly looked at her. He noticed her. She looked a little different, now.

Rex couldn't really remember the last time he just talked to her. Whenever they met, it had always been in fleeting moments as she was swept out the door by colleagues or in flickering moments of consciousness. Now, he saw. Time showed change. Something was different.

"Uh... Hey Doc," He carefully looked at her, "Did you gain weight?"

Okay, that may not been the most tactful way to notice change in a woman.

There was a pause. Holiday raised her eyebrows in amused surprise. Rex instantly regretted that.

The silence was awkward.

"...Okay, really?" Noah broke it, "All right, Rex, I know you're kinda out of practice talking to women, but isn't it pretty much common sense not to say that?"

Yes. Yes, it was.

"Er. Doc! Sorry, I didn't mean to say that!" Rex started to apologize, "I meant that you looked rounder than I last- You seem plumper than usual- I mean there's something that-"

"Rex!" Holiday chuckled again, "No. This time, it's fine. Rex, you're right. It's because I'm pregnant."

His jaw dropped. Noah looked at her in shock. Her unusual absences finally made sense.

"I- Whoa- How?" They were the only words Rex could get out.

"...Well," Noah started without missing a beat, "When a man and a woman love each other very much-"

"Noah, you're lucky you're already in a hospital bed because I seriously-"

Holiday giggled. They paused at her girlish expression. "Hormones," She smiled, radiated, and glowed, "I'm pleasant now, but Six unfortunately got the rougher end of that this morning."

Rex couldn't suppress an ecstatic smile, "Doc. I- This is... This is great. How long?"

"I won't be due for about six more months," Holiday blushed, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Rex. I didn't want you to have to feel happy for me when I know how rough things have been."

"Uh, no, no," Rex shook his head, "It's- ...It-" Rex couldn't put his words together. He didn't even know what he wanted to say. "You're awesome, Doc."

Noah laughed and Holiday just smiled.

She glanced at a clock, "Well, I need to get going. Rex, make sure you return to your room later. We still need to run those tests on you."

"Sure, Doc."

"Noah, I'll be coming by for another checkup later this evening. We need to further discuss restorative procedures on your inner injuries."

Noah nodded as she took his charts. She cheerfully waved before she shut the door behind her. Rex turned to Noah.

"Inner injuries?"

"…Yeah. Just- you know," Noah uncomfortably shrugged, "Sometimes when I fight and pieces get, uh, stuck… They don't always come unstuck."

Was that really the reason he almost died? "What? Noah-!"

"It's fine now. Don't worry about it." It was so stupid.

Rex steadily looked at him. He wanted to press further about it, but he figured he'd leave it alone for now. He was really just happy Noah was fine…

"Heh," Rex smirked and softly squeezed Noah's hand again, "You know, you were right. I'd have killed you the second time around."

* * *

><p>Rex was shortly discharged after a few initial days of scanning and testing. His health was perfectly fine. A few days later, Noah was deemed well enough to work on missions, although he was restricted to commanding from the far sidelines by radio until he fully recovered. Both he and Rex still had to be monitored by Holiday.<p>

It seemed that time started to run normally again. Noah received several medals for his efforts, along with the accompanying rise in the ranks. That day, he became the youngest colonel Providence had seen.

Rex shortly returned to battle after being released, although his participation was somewhat limited as well. White's trust in Rex as a person shriveled since that day, but thankfully Holiday was able to bargain him a little more freedom while he was undergoing his testing period.

Things seemed shaky in regards to their positions in Providence while their bodies recovered, but they trained and fought together every day to reach their own standards once again. And although their road to full recovery was a long one, they worked through it steadily and without complaint.

Meanwhile, Holiday slowly became rounder and Six, in his own stealthy and inconspicuous way, doted on her. She often oversaw Rex's scans and Noah's physical progress, however often hardly moving from a chair as Six did the manual work. While Dr. Holiday often seemed outwardly chipper (barring her sudden and extreme mood swings), Six oddly seemed joyous too. Although, it was hard to tell sometimes. Most of the time. It was always hard to tell. But he was undoubtedly happy.

As the results from Rex's monitoring and scannings accumulated, it was happily concluded that although there was still a chance Rex could revert to his unstable EVO state, it would no longer signal a loss of memory. It seemed that his mutation had been a sort of shock therapy on his mind where he was pushed to the edge, but he wasn't pushed over. The stress and the physical change had shifted something in his neurological physiology for the better and he no longer had to worry about major memory loss.

The uncertain edge that Rex walked on had suddenly vanished. He stood on solid, stable ground without worry for his memories. His lost past wouldn't return with any less difficulty, but at least he no longer had to worry about losing what he recovered.

For the first time in years, Rex finally felt that his life was safe inside his head. While White was dissatisfied with the results (it was positive for Rex but meant nothing to calm White's fears about his EVO form), cautionary protocol for Rex's mutation reluctantly went back to normal levels.

Things were going fine. It was getting better. Life slowly became stable again.

And it was like it was just easier to breathe now.

* * *

><p>Tomorrow would be the first day Noah returned to the battlefield. It had been months, and he was aching to get his hands in on the action again. Rex was equally excited, since he severely missed being able to flawlessly coordinate fights as he did with Noah. In fact, he was so excited that he fell asleep. He wanted to make sure he could wake up in time for whatever mission would be assigned to.<p>

He dozed over Noah's sheets as the door slid open. The corridor lights briefly flooded the room and went out as the door shut behind Noah.

Rex shifted as he drifted out of his half-sleep and cracked an eye open. The shower started to run and Rex stretched out and resettled into his pillow. He kind of didn't want to be awake right now, but if it was because of Noah, it was okay. He was going back to sleep soon anyway.

He yawned as he shifted and turned over. The shower stopped and Rex turned himself to sit up just as Noah walked towards his dresser.

Noah in a towel. That was nice to wake up to.

"So," Rex yawned again, "What am I doing tomorrow?"

"Oh, Rex," Noah pulled some clothes from drawer, "Well, I'm gonna be going on a routine patrol route. Didn't hear where you're going to."

Rex leaned his head against his hand, "Well, I guess I'm going on your patrol route, too."

Noah chuckled. He slid his shorts on, "Yeah, you might want to check with Six on that."

"Pretty sure Six isn't really caring all that much lately."

"Hey, never know. Holiday might've kicked him out again."

Noah stretched his arms overhead as he pulled on his tank. Rex smiled and stared at his back.

It was marvelous, just like everything else of him was. But, his back...

He recognized those little, familiar scars. He recognized the slightly bigger ones, too. He knew them well. But, he still wasn't used to the new one. It was still pretty red while it healed. It also nearly covered half his back.

It was going to be left on him forever. It was a memento, Rex thought, a reminder of how Noah treaded that line, and of how fragile his own psyche could be. It was keepsake Noah carried for Rex. It showed what Noah meant to him.

Noah sat down on his bed and tossed his towel over to a chair. As he hunched over, Rex's hand gently crept up his back. Noah looked back at him and smirked.

Rex smiled, genuinely and reverently. It wasn't a smirk back. His hand slipped under the fabric of Noah's tank, and rested on the damaged skin of his back.

Noah looked down and let out a long, slow sigh.

"Hard to believe one injury could do so much, huh?" Noah murmured.

"Yeah," Rex nodded, "Sometimes I forget about infection and stuff like that." His hand ran the course of his scar. It was huge.

"Does it still hurt?"

"No, not really."

"I mean- everything else, the scars you have inside, too. I heard-" Rex swallowed, "I heard you probably were in pain a lot of the time, probably ever since that EVO spike got stuck in you a couple years ago..."

"N-no. It didn't hurt. I mean, I couldn't really tell. I don't really know-"

"_How can you not know?_"

Rex's voice quieted. Noah's past battles, the ones that left the scars over him- that damage that had lingered and almost cost him his life...!

The thought of it scared him. They hardly ever talked about it. Rex didn't want to.

Noah faced him. He held his face and stared hard. "Rex," he said, "I'm okay. It's fine."

He leaned in, "The stuff Providence labs has me on is working. There is no pain. Whatever that was wrong before is being taken care of."

Rex glanced away, "Sorry, Noah. I'm-" "I know."

He slipped his hand into Rex's. Their fingers enclosed each other. Rex lowered his head and closed his eyes.

Touch. Noah's touch. Everything was okay.

Slowly, Rex felt lips touch his. They pressed against him gently and with the utmost sincerity. His eyes opened, and he saw only the vague form of Noah, leaning up to him as he kissed him. As Rex replied, their arms rose and pulled them into each other, and the only idea they could process was that there was only them, right now.

Noah, Rex thought.

So much had happened.

All he wanted was to keep Noah here. With him.

Noah's hand laid against Rex's cheek as he pulled away. He tilted his head into Noah's palm. He was warm.

"Rex," Noah whispered, "I love you."

Assurance. It was as if Rex could live only on those words, on that singular idea. It was like that was the only thing he really needed at all.

"Now," Noah softly said and leaned closer, "Get out of my room. I have to wake up early tomorrow morning."

Rex blinked, then squinted his eyes with a grin. He should have expected that.

"Nah, I don't think so," he gently tightened his grip around Noah, "Think I'm gonna spend the night again. We're heading out to the same place at the same time, anyway."

"Come on," Noah smirked and struggled a little, "We've spent almost every other minute around each other for weeks. Why don't you ever want to sleep in your own room? It's way bigger than mine."

"Yeah, but," Rex enveloped him close, "There's a major problem: it doesn't have_ you_ in it."

Noah paused. He looked hard at Rex, completely unimpressed.

"...Wow. What have they been doing to you during scans? Pumping you full of estrogen?"

"...Yeah. They've been pumping me with estrogen and in between missions I sneak off to wear a dress. I'm never going to say anything nice to you again."

"Good. Because you were freaking me out there for a second."

Rex laughed and Noah couldn't suppress a dumb grin. Rex leaned over and kissed him, toppling both of them over with another laugh. He arched himself over Noah as he kissed him again, running a hand down his side.

It was times like this that he was sure... That Noah was what he needed. He was his balance, his tether, and most importantly- he was his friend.

Their cheeks brushed. Noah let out a breath, "Hey, Rex. Seriously..." He was flustered, "We shouldn't do anything... W-we still got that thing tomorrow morning."

It was past midnight. It would be this morning, now.

Rex nodded, tucking his face into the curve of Noah's neck, "Yeah, yeah." He smiled as his lips touched where Noah's pulse beat. "I just-" He breathed," I'm just making sure you're not going anywhere."

The earnestness in Rex absorbed him. In simple words, in small actions, Rex betrayed everything of himself again and again to Noah. The vulnerabilities Noah understood and caused in Rex overwhelmed him sometimes.

He slowly raised his arms and settled them over Rex's shoulders. "I'm not," He quietly said.

Rex left a soft, solemn kiss against his neck. "I just wanted to double check..."

Noah smiled as his hand trailed through Rex's hair. Rex shifted, and as they settled themselves next to each other, they clasped their hands together. Noah closed his eyes, happy that the last thing he saw before he fell asleep was the smug, arrogant, and unabashedly smiling face of his best friend.

Rex crept closer to Noah. He pressed his hands against his lips, and kissed the scars on Noah's hands. He soon fell asleep, happy that person he trusted most in the world, his best friend, was there and real, sleeping soundly beside him.

Fleeting thoughts passed in their dreams. Tomorrow could yield new dangers, new disasters. Everything could happen all over again.

But that was tomorrow.

This was the life they had, the life they chose. All they could do was cherish today, and to cherish it enough for whatever could happen tomorrow.

They slept through the night, deeply and happily together. Rex later ended up hogging the blanket again, but it was okay. He later woke up on the floor.

End.


	5. Epilogue

Epilogue

Rex walked along the hallways in a good mood. Since that plant EVO pretty much took care of itself, that mission went much easier than expected. Even though it ate five Providence armored weapon carriers, the explosion that resulted was pretty awesome. Rex never thought he'd see something like a ferocious exploding daisy in his life.

He turned into a hallway. It was one he knew very well.

"...Rex?" He turned around.

"...Bev!"

"Hey!" She smiled and raised her hand, "What's up?"

High five! Rex grinned, "Not much. What're you doing here? School out already?"

"No, I'm just here visiting Rebecca for the weekend. I wanted to see how huge she is! I'm so excited to be an auntie!"

Rex laughed, "Yeah, she's getting there."

"It's like under a couple months til she pops. I can't believe they haven't chosen a name yet."

"Yeah, well, sometimes when you deliberate with Six, you end up waiting for his opinion for a while."

Beverly giggled, "Heh. Yeah. Sometimes I can't see why my sister's into him, but as long as she's happy." She smiled at Rex, "So, where are you heading?"

Rex took a step, "I'm just swinging by Noah's to hang out. Wanna come with? It's been a while, huh?"

"Yeah but- I think he's in the med lab. I heard Rebecca say he was in..."

"Oh. Oh- great," Rex shook his head, "I wonder what's happened to him today." He looked at Beverly's concerned expression and gave an assured smile, "He's okay. Don't sweat it."

"Really? Even though-" "No, it's cool. You know he's pretty crazy when he fights."

Beverly chuckled. Rex motioned as he turned the other way, "Come on, let's go bother him in the med wing."

* * *

><p>"Ha ha! No way! Wow, and I thought high school was crazy," Rex's laughter echoed down the hallways, "So, how's Cesar doing? Is he still teaching at your university?"<p>

"Mmm, no, he's not. Last I heard he was offered another job at a bigger tech college. But, wouldn't you know, Rex? He is your brother and all."

"No, Cesar... Tends to forget things sometimes," Rex laughed again, "Like telling me what's going on. But you know, at least it's just the small stuff. Like eating all my cheese balls, discovering major personal nanite uses, and uprooting from Providence."

Beverly gave an exasperated smile, "Yeah, I guess geniuses can be a little scatterbrained. ...To be honest, he's really not that great of professor. He subbed one of my classes last semester and I think he went on a tangent of manipulating atomic structures in my gen-ed astronomy class."

"Heh, yeah, that sounds like him."

Rex walked into Noah's room. It was pretty much the same one they always put him in. Noah sat on the side of his bed nonchalantly. It wasn't a major injury he was in for. He looked up from flexing his hand and smiled, "Oh, hey Rex. Bev, it's been a while!"

"Yeah! Whoa, what happened to your arm?" She walked over and her eyes widened. His left hand was bandaged up to his elbow.

"What, this?" Noah raised it up and waved, "Mission stuff. You know. One of the EVO sharks ate a sample we really needed so I, uh, went in after it."

Rex laughed. Beverly gaped. She looked at the red blotches dotting over his arm, "It looks like you stuck your arm in a garbage disposal."

"Heh, basically. Know how sharks usually have like, three rows of teeth at a time? Well, EVO sharks are pretty much just made _of_ teeth on the inside."

"Usually you have more tact than that," Rex smirked.

"Yeah, but when all that's separating important research material from a shredder is a little glass vial, tact seemed to take too much time. Oh yeah, and salt water did NOT help, too."

Beverly cringed, "...Ouch."

* * *

><p>Rex and Noah later said goodbye to Bev as she went off to find Holiday. Apparently she would be making regular visits from now on for her sister's sake. They later walked down the hallways, talking about the details of today's battles, and Noah stopped.<p>

"Oh wait," Noah pulled out a vial from his pocket, "Forgot to give this to Holiday."

Rex raised an eyebrow, "Heh, yeah. It'd suck if your arm got chewed to fish food for nothing."

They made a turn towards Holiday's office when Beverly suddenly ran past them, "Hi! Bye!"

They looked at each other. They heard yelling and some sort of strange background noise, too.

They cautiously stepped towards Dr. Holiday's door.

That ambient noise they were hearing was the sound of pure anger.

"...you HONESTLY think I couldn't do it on my OWN?"

Uh...

"...SIX. I am a GROWN WOMAN. I think I can go out and get it by myself! I don't need you to do every single little thing for me for pete's sake!"

Rex and Noah went against their better judgment and edged closer for a better listen.

"Rebecca, please calm yourself down."

"Calm down? Don't you _dare _tell me what to do. Do you know what I'm doing right now? I am carrying YOUR daughter, SIX. You'll be the LAST person to tell me what to do!"

"Rebecca. I..."

Noah and Rex backed away. Despite that she usually appreciated Six's attention and care (she outright adored it sometimes), there were occasional backlashes.

"I guess, uh..." Noah mumbled, "...I'll give it to one of her assistants..."

"...Yeah. Holiday's cool and all, but I don't feel like dying by her..."

* * *

><p>Two weeks went by. Rex and Noah settled in Rex's room as they talked. He started to wrap a roll of gauze down Noah's arm.<p>

"How's this one?" Rex touched next to a healing cut. It looked like it was doing fine, and it didn't look like it was going to scar over.

"That one's okay, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to put some on it."

Rex rubbed a little salve over it and the other places where cuts where still visibly healing. He hoped most of them wouldn't heal so damaged. Today, Noah had a new bandage on his cheek, but at least that was all.

As he started to wrap down Noah's arm, Noah chuckled, "You know, you don't have to do this."

"Yeah, I know," Rex grinned, "That's why I had to beg you to let me do it."

Noah rolled his eyes with a smile. Sometimes Rex was all too eager to make sure he healed. But, he secretly kind of liked that.

Rex slowly looped the roll around Noah's arm. He knew Noah was perfectly capable of redressing his wounds himself, but for whatever reason, he loved to do it for him. As he moved the bandages to cover, he gently pressed them down in place. They sat in a comfortable quiet while Rex wrapped Noah's wrist.

He looked over Noah's scraped fingers. Some of the particularly smaller cuts already healed, and some others were still a little too big to recover yet. One small wound was already scarring at the edges. Rex looked at it. It sat defiantly on that finger, that one there, right next to Noah's pinky...

"You want me to wrap up just these fingers?"

"Yeah, just the ones where they're still kind of open."

He bandaged them up, and set aside the gauze. Rex looked at Noah with a smirk, "That wasn't so bad, now was it? You know they stay in place better when someone else does it for you."

* * *

><p>Noah turned over to him and shifted his head. A few days had passed. That evening, they lost the time chatting, and since Noah wouldn't have to be anywhere too early that morning, he slept on Rex's bed that night. He hated to admit that he liked Rex's room better. It had a bigger space for clutter, and it was closer to the briefing room than his. And despite it being as cramped for two people as his bed, it somehow just felt <em>nicer<em>.

He steadily breathed in his sleep. Meanwhile, Rex struggled to keep his eyes shut. It was just one of those nights.

Noah exhaled. Rex looked at him.

Same Noah as always, except for the details. They always changed. That bandage on his cheek was gone. He had a little one over his nose, now. To pass the time, he often just looked at Noah. He could just lose time that way, even though he lost sleep. At least he had something he liked to look at.

The wrappings on Noah's arm thinned. Most of his cuts from that shark-shredder healed. It seemed that out of all the places his skin had been sheared over, most had mended just fine and only a couple yielded scars.

They were cool. They were really cool. But sometimes the scars just bugged him. It kind of made it seem sometimes that he was always Colonel Nixon, the soldier-commander. It was like he always had the battle with him because of the marks that were etched onto his skin.

Most of the time, Rex actually hardly noticed that they were even there. But sometimes, it seemed like they obscured so much of Noah.

Rex absentmindedly touched Noah's hand. He touched the places where the cuts used to be. His finger ran the edge of the bandage over Noah's knuckle.

He thought.

He didn't sleep for a while.

* * *

><p>The next few weeks went by. Holiday's moods seemed to have petered out a little as she grew bigger, although her improved calmness had probably been due to Beverly's regular visits. And despite his unshakably tranquil demeanor, Rex could tell Six was less tense as well. He clearly enjoyed not being yelled at by his wife.<p>

The missions Rex and Noah went on were the usual. Occasionally they got into the scuffles between Van Kleiss here and there, but it seemed the formerly glorious leader was still licking his wounds. He had been majorly served not too long back.

As long as nanites still existed, there were things to do. Rex and Noah fought on and each received their shares of visits to med-bay.

One day, Rex patted down his wrapped arms. For once, he was more banged up than Noah. Today's monster of the day had been a crystal based EVO that enjoyed launching shards.

"Heh,' Rex held up his arms to Noah in the doorway, "I kinda feel like Tuck."

"Yeah, except I think he has a little more substance in his head than you.

Rex cocked a smile and punched Noah's arm. "-OW." Rex winced. He forgot his hands were cut up. "Geez. It's like these EVOs are just made of razors or something. It's always something like a thorns-of-death EVO or lunking diamond-head EVO. Why can't it be something soft like fluffy bunny EVO of- oh wait. Never mind."

Noah laughed. Rex shoved him as he laughed too.

That night, Rex's cuts were already healing. He touched over his arms as he unraveled the gauze. Except for the tiniest few open wounds, his arms were clean. The only places that were still dotted with blood were his hands. That fight actually wore him out pretty well, so at an incredibly inopportune time, Rex's Smack Hands reverted to Regular Hands and he caught a handful of sharpened crystal.

He bent his hands and flexed his fingers. The thought of Noah's wounds crossed his mind. He remembered Noah's thrashed arm.

It wasn't fair that Noah had to carry those past fights with him like that. It wasn't fair that they made him always seem like he never left the battlefield.

He just hated that Noah got hurt, but what could he do? It came with the job. It came with both of their jobs. They could only make their recoveries a little easier on each other.

Rex exhaled. It just wasn't fair that those scars had to be on Noah for the rest of his life. It was kind of frustrating, because Rex would see them. He'd see them on Noah for... Wait a minute.

He paused for a second, re-examining his thought and where it was going.

...Was that right?

Was he really heading that way? No, actually, was he already there...?

...Yeah.

He was.

Geez. These things really did just happen without Rex ever knowing. They always just rooted themselves somewhere in his life, just growing and growing in plain view until Rex walked into it, completely and utterly surprised. But, it was funny. It was weird how, even without realizing it, Noah changed and kept changing Rex's life. He gave him a strange constant he never expected.

Rex would see Noah's scars. He would see them for the rest of his life. He didn't like that Noah had scars, but they were on Noah. And as long as he could see Noah for the rest of his life, he actually didn't care how many scars he had.

It felt absolutely right.

Rex remembered what Six said, what he taught him. He remembered when he understood it. Balance. Noah was his balance. He was essential, and Rex needed him. He wanted... To make sure Noah knew that, too.

Rex touched where his fingers still bled a little, and smirked. It wasn't fair that Noah was the only one with the cool scars.

* * *

><p>Noah waited on top of the artillery tower. Usually the winds were fierce from being so high up, but today they were particularly calm and it was only breezy. He had no real idea why he was there. Rex just told him to show up.<p>

He looked around for him. He had no idea where he was going to be coming from. He turned his head towards a speck in the sky and squinted.

Yeah. It was Rex. In the sky, he tumbled over in a stunt. Noah could see him yelling in a crazy thrill. Noah chuckled.

Rex pulled a sharp turn and zoomed in. He jetted overhead, looped, and dropped down. It was a terribly, terribly dramatic landing, just as he liked it. As Rex stood up, he pulled off his goggles with a dashing smile. Noah just rolled his eyes with a laugh, "Nice."

"Yeah!" Rex walked toward him and held up a box, "Someone order pizza? Noah raised a brow.

Pizza run. Noah expected nothing but slick mess of cheese and tomato sauce inside, but found a perfectly in-tact large supreme instead. It was nothing short of a miracle with Rex's aerial stunts. Noah looked at him, and Rex winked, "Yeah. I'm just that awesome."

So it was an impromptu picnic. Although Noah could name at least seven other things he should have been doing, he found he preferred spending the time eating with Rex. Providence would survive without him if he took lunch just a little longer than usual. Or if he took lunch at all for once.

"And THAT was when Jenson lit the fuse!" Noah wiped his greased hand over his pant leg, "Except, it was too short."

"...OH! Aw man! That's so lame!" Rex laughed, "Now I can see why he won't tell me how he lost his eyebrows. That's a different level of suck."

They laughed. As Rex rubbed his own grease off, he put his glove back on and looked at Noah. "Pizza's pretty good, huh?" He looked back out to the desert, "View... Not so bad..."

Noah chuckled, "Yeah. I guess."

"Pretty luxurious, huh? I could get used to this. Good food, passable view, and amazingly handsome company (for you, Noah). Yeah, I wouldn't mind doing this every day with you."

"Hmm. Yeah, I would though."

"-Uh, yeah?"

"Well, as much as I like fighting with Providence, I kind of hope it'll eventually be obsolete. You know, the whole 'cure' thing and all."

"Oh. Well, when after we get the cure, then how about eating lunch anywhere like this every day? Hong Kong? LA? London?"

"Maybe. But, I don't think I can do it if it's pizza every time."

Rex laughed. Noah looked at him and took another bite, grinning.

* * *

><p>Rex's door opened and he walked in with a postcard. Noah sat on the floor, playing an old game on Rex's system. He was lucky. Today seemed like a pretty calm day for EVO missions.<p>

"Hey, got something from Bobo," Rex flipped the postcard over, "Looks like his crew's in Vegas."

Noah snickered as he paused the game, "Vegas? Oh man... How much you want to bet he's gonna be writing to us later for some cash?"

"Heh, no way. He's going clean that town out."

Noah thought for a moment. That actually did sound pretty plausible.

Rex smiled as he read over Bobo's note. Apparently the local showgirls had taken a liking to him. He was probably going to be there for a while. Rex pulled out a stack of postcards from his drawer and placed his new postcard with the rest of them. It was nice to know his former sidekick was doing all right. Postcards were all that Rex got, but he knew that Bobo also occasionally sent a package to other Providence members (disguised under a pseudonym). They were usually filled with the loudest, most annoying trinkets he could find that screeched right when the box opened. It was good that some things never did change.

Rex pulled his gloves off, stashed them, and closed his drawer with a smile. "Hey, Noah." He turned his head towards him. Noah was already playing his game again.

"Yeah?" Noah stuck his sword through a spider.

"You know," Rex settled down next to him, "I can't imagine a life without you."

Noah shot his arrow, stopped, and paused the game. He turned to Rex and looked at him strangely, "Okay. What's up?"

"Nothing's up. Geez. What, I can't want to be around you?"

"No, it's just weird hearing something like that coming from you out of nowhere."

"Hey," Rex reached over and grasped Noah's hand with a smirk, "I'm just saying some facts."

Noah looked at him suspiciously. He looked down at their joined hands. He turned Rex's over and saw a thin, but noticeable scar over his finger.

"Hey- What's with this scar? I thought you don't get them."

Rex smiled. "I don't, but this time I just made this one heal differently."

"Why?"

Rex chuckled and shrugged, "I dunno. I just don't think it's fair that you have to carry all these scars by yourself."

Noah looked at him oddly again. He was getting a little weird. "Rex, they're just scars. Yeah, they remind me of the times I got hurt, but it's not a big deal or anything."

The thought of that huge scar up Noah's back crept into Rex's head. "Sometimes it is to me, Noah."

Rex's expression glimpsed a little darker. Noah glanced down. "Don't worry about it, Rex."

"Yeah, but I want to. Look, I know you worry about me whenever I'm up against some super psycho-EVO even your crew isn't cleared for, so let me worry over something about you."

Noah couldn't fight a small smile forming over his lips.

"I know it sounds stupid, but," Rex smirked and took Noah's other hand as well, "I just wanted to show you that whatever happens to you happens to me, too."

Noah let out a chuckle. He smiled, genuinely, and looked down at their entwined hands. They had a scar in the exact same place, on the exact same finger. He blinked, and the meaning of it hit him. Noah had to fight to suppress a laugh at how absolutely corny it was, and also a stupidly embarrassing grin at how much the gesture actually touched him. His face grew stupid either way, and Rex happily matched it.

"I like fighting with you, Noah. Well, not like, _fighting with_ you, but you know. I like doing everything with you- most of the time. I like this life that we have, right now, even if it sucks sometimes."

Rex leaned in, "I really, actually, can't ever imagine a life where you weren't there with me- where I didn't smash in some EVO face next to you every day."

Noah chuckled. He laughed at it all, absolutely disbelieving that Rex was saying all of this and that he actually loved that he was saying it. Noah gently gripped Rex's hands as he looked at him.

"Yeah? What about when we get that cure? When there won't be any psycho EVOs with faces to smash in? You think you can imagine a life like that?"

"...Heh, yeah. I guess. When that happens, we'll end up fighting some wanna-be super villain jerk as superhero vigilantes. You can be my sidekick."

Noah raised an eyebrow, "Sidekick? After all this time, you're making me your sidekick." Noah dully stared at him and pulled his hands away from Rex in mock rejection, "Okay. I'm gonna pass."

"-OR! Or. _I'll_ be the sidekick and _you_ can be the superhero! You can be something like GENERAL PAIN and I can be MECHANICAL MAYHEM."

"Why do we sound like pro-wrestlers?"

"Because... I'm working on it. But, uh, hey. So, how does that sound? Me, an impossibly good-looking world-saving hero of superior caliber, indefinitely hanging around with you, an equally impossibly good-looking strategist of even greater caliber? Sound good?"

Noah stared at him. He glanced away and laughed.

"Huh. 'Indefinitely?' I'd kind of like something a little more, uh, definite."

"Okay. Fine, here," Rex framed his hands out, "'Impossibly good-looking super hero bothering impossibly good looking and just impossible sarcastic jerk for the rest of his life.' How's that, now?"

"Make it 'rest of _their _lives' and we got something."

"Okay. You got a deal."

They suddenly shook hands, looked at each other, and burst out laughing. Noah leaned back, "I like that we sound like the back of a DVD cover."

Rex put an arm around him, "Hey, pretty much our life is an action-adventure movie. Why not?"

Noah shifted and leaned against him, "Heh. Yeah, I guess." He picked up the controller and gave it to Rex, "Here, keep playing for me. If this fairy says something one more time, I'm going to throw this kid off a cliff."

"What, this game too hard for you, now?"

"Shut up, Rex."

End Epilogue.


	6. Extra Story

Extra Story

The Strange Courtship of Noah and Rex

It was at Noah's first award ceremony at Basic that Rex actually looked at him. _Really _looked at him.

As he shook DI Hutton's hand, Noah glanced over to the side where Rex was standing and smiled completely unabashedly, ecstatic to have achieved a higher rank so early. Rex smiled back and nodded. It was a small ceremony mostly limited to other grunts-in-training, but Rex stopped in on a lucky day.

A kind sentiment started forming there. There was something about Noah, especially when he fought or was completely unrestrained, that Rex found absolutely compelling. He liked to see him as happy as he was now.

He liked that Noah was happy. Which was natural, because he was his best friend. Noah proudly smiled as his ranking medal was pinned to his chest. Rex happily couldn't take his eyes off him. He was completely unaware of the small, but significant, shift in his perception.

* * *

><p>Rex and Noah trained during the precious few times Noah had an hour or so free. They sparred whenever Rex would come to visit. All too often, other cadets complained that Noah was getting an extra advantage by practicing with the so-called secret weapon. But, when Rex offered to train and spar with them as well, they easily yielded victory to him. Noah was the only one who could give a challenge (although perhaps that was also an unfair advantage, since he knew all of Rex's moves).<p>

"So-" Rex threw a punch at Noah, "How's it going with Claire? She-" He dodged "-Doing okay?"

"Yeah! Looks like-" Noah struck a high kick, "-Things are going-" Dodge. "-Real well!"

They breathed while their fists connected and locked. Noah moved out of position, "How about you?" He jumped Rex's low swing, "How'd that girl from that pier work out?"

"All right. She's nice, but I don't think tall, dark, and EVO sits with her too well."

"Yeah, some people are real picky about height."

* * *

><p>"Merry Christmas, Noah!"<p>

"Thanks! It's... uh. My communicator?"

"Yeah, I tweaked it so you can call me up any time on an unmonitored frequency. Just call me up when you're bored, okay?"

"So, you're basically giving me your phone number, again, for a present. I really can't believe how humble you are sometimes, Rex. You think you can autograph it, too?"

"Sure, I'll be happy to turn it into a collectible. But, not before my present. So? Where is it?"

"...Uh yeah. About that. I'm gonna have to give you an IOU. Can't really spend money if I can't go anywhere."

* * *

><p>"What's up, Noah? You look pretty bummed."<p>

"Yeah. Claire broke up with me."

"What? Aw man, Noah. You okay?"

" I'm all right. Actually, I kind of saw this coming."

"Yeah?"

"Well, yeah. I couldn't expect her to wait for me. It's been too long since I last saw her anyway. We just drifted apart. ...I can't blame her to want to find someone who was actually around."

"...You sure you're okay, Noah?"

"Heh. Yeah. I just wish I could have done more for her, you know? Maybe had a little extra time together. I mean, I finally get her after graduation, and then summer's not even over when I'm shipped to Basic. Talk about bad timing."

"...Yeah."

"It was gonna happen anyway, though. At least it was fun while it lasted."

"Well, if it's any consolation... Even though you're pretty boring sometimes, you don't have to worry about me ditching you- at least permanently anyway."

"Pff. Heh. Oh wow, Rex. What-a-load-off-my-mind. That _sure _makes me feel better."

"That's what I'm here for."

"You know, I always thought no one was married at Providence because they all just happened to not know how to talk to girls. Guess I really know why, now."

"Yeah, the only ones that are actually married are the ones to their jobs."

Noah cracked a smile at him and laughed. Rex looked at him. He hated himself for it, but he found the smallest bit of happiness in that he didn't have to really share Noah anymore.

* * *

><p>An arcade. He hadn't been to one in forever.<p>

"Heh. I'm totally messing myself up, but this is totally worth it."

"Hey, you deserve a break, Noah. Glad you decided to come with me."

"Yeah, well, for some weird reason you always get me to go somewhere stupid with you whenever you want. But, this time, I'm really glad I came."

"Good, you gotta party sometimes."

"You want more quarters, Rex? I got plenty. ...Heh, DI Hutton would short circuit if he knew I was here..."

* * *

><p>"What's this, Rex?"<p>

"It's a GameVoid handheld."

"...This is just like the one I used to have when I was a kid."

"Yeah, I remember you said you missed it. I thought it'd make a nice birthday present."

"...Huh? Birthday present?"

"Yeah? Isn't today your birthday?"

"Pfft. Oh man. It is..."

"Heh. Way to go, Noah. Happy birthday."

"Hah, thanks."

* * *

><p>"No way, Rex. I am not going to do that."<p>

"Come on, it's so easy, Noah. No one's going to suspect you since you're usually over there."

"I'm not going to walk down to the weapons center to get you bomb parts to prank Bobo."

"Will you ever actually lighten up?"

"I just don't want to make a second trip."

The doors swung open to a storage compartment in Noah's room. It was full to the brim with parts.

"...Okay. This is cool."

"Yeah, I was going to use these on you for payback with the shaving cream and the rakes, but since it's Bobo... Well, he's been long overdue."

"I'm not sure if I should be nervous with what you're going to think of next to pull on me, or just be happy you already have these."

* * *

><p>Honestly. No one knew them better than they knew each other.<p>

So, the months went on. Noah eventually graduated Basic and joined Providence's official rankings. Like Kenwyn, he started out high enough to be an officer. Here and there, Noah spent time off at different Providence bases, but most of the time he was at HQ.

Gradually though, Rex started to feel something strange. His affections changed a little. It wasn't like he stopped enjoying his company as a friend, it's just-

There was just something else. Something extra. The more he watched Noah, the easier it was to understand.

Eventually the realization came.

He resisted it, dodged it, tried to rationalize his own way out of it. But, whenever Rex's eyes drifted over to Noah, he begrudgingly became all the more sure of it.

And as he watched him, Rex surprisingly found signals from Noah. Their proximities when they talked, the things they did for each other, and the subtle, natural feeling of absolute comfort around one another. There weren't any brushes of the hand, or awkward catchings of stares. There was just an extended feeling of freedom, trust, and... Happiness in each other. It just caught over the line of something more, of something where it was strong enough that Rex had to say something.

Hey, maybe they could even be... happy together. Like that.

He'd try.

* * *

><p>Today was the day.<p>

"Hey Noah. Wanna go out with me?"

"I dunno, Rex. I'm kind of busy for now."

"Well, when you're free, you kind of want... To... Head out on date?"

"...What? I don't get the joke."

...

Okay, try again.

"Hey Noah! What's up?"

"Not much."

"So. I was kind of hoping you're free enough to take me up on that date offer."

"...Huh?"

"You know, head down to the new pinball place in the town to the west and score some food."

"So. Uh, Rex, your humor's been kind of weird sometimes. Lately. Haven't been really getting the punch lines."

...

Once more.

"Noah! I like you!"

"-Okay! ...I guess I like you, too?"

"No, Noah, you know what I mean! I've been trying to-"

"-Hey Rex? Can we finish this later? I kinda have to jump out this helicarrier, now! See you on the ground!"

Maybe that was bad timing.

He wanted Noah to at least take him seriously about it. He knew Noah wasn't an idiot, and he knew Noah knew that he wasn't an idiot too. He just had to get him to see he meant what he was saying.

* * *

><p>Noah was done for the day. Perfect.<p>

"Okay. Noah. I've been trying to tell you lately. So, here's the thing. I like you. I like you more than anyone else. Can I be more than a friend to you?"

"...What?"

"I mean it."

"Um. I don't think so, Rex."

"Hey, you didn't even think about it!"

"Okay, well good night!"

Well, that went well. But that wasn't the end of that. There was more to what Noah was letting on.

* * *

><p>Rex tried again. And again. And again. Every time yielded the same disbelieving, flat-out answer.<p>

He wished Noah would at least try to make it _sound_ like he thought about it. Then he'd be more inclined to leave it alone. It was just- none of the answers Noah gave sounded like he ever meant it.

Sometimes it felt hopeless. Sometimes he felt like just giving up. If Noah was going to fight against the idea so much, maybe he had him wrong all along.

What if he didn't know him as well as he thought? What if Rex was just screwing up their friendship?

But, if that were the case, Noah wouldn't hang out with him. He wouldn't be acting the same as he usually did. Despite it all, he never avoided him. Only when Rex would start asking about _that_ would he find some excuse to leave.

Rex just had to try nonetheless, even if just one more time. If Noah wasn't going to give him an honest answer, Rex would leave it. He would try one more time, and he wouldn't hold back.

* * *

><p>It was an all-out verbal fight.<p>

"Come on!"

"Yeah right, Rex."

"No, really. I'm serious!"

"You? Serious? Not your best joke, but it's funny."

"Quit playing dumb! It's not a joke and you know it."

"No. No way!"

"No as in 'No I'm still gonna play dumb,' or no to me?"

"Rex!"

"At least think about it!"

"Yeah, I've thought about it!"

"It doesn't sound like you've thought about it!"

"Why do I need to sound like-"

"Just give me a shot, okay? Just one. And if it doesn't work, we can forget the whole thing happened, okay?"

"No! Give it up, all right? I told you a million times, so can we just drop it?"

"I can't drop it when you don't give me an answer!"

"An answer? I gave you answer before! I gave you answer five times this last minute! How many times do I have to-"

"Just at least look me in the eye when you tell me for once!"

Bullseye. Noah shut up.

Rex took a cautious step towards him.

"...What are you afraid of? You think it's weird? You think it's worse than just half the things you see any day here? Why can't you give me an honest answer?"

Rex could see Noah's mind trying to frantically come up with something to say, but he was frozen in his tracks. Just as he was still reeling, his thoughts still processing, Noah opened his mouth to at least say something and-

"Noah, I know you like me, too."

There was nothing to say.

"..."

Noah couldn't deny it. It was written all over his face. Rex hit the mark exactly. They both knew it just from the way Noah's face blushed red. Rex smirked.

"...Come on. I'm your best friend, remember? Even though it's hard to believe, I pay attention. So, what do you say?"

Noah looked at him. Despite being flustered, he was still pretty pissed.

"No. Way. Remember how Knight blew a fuse when he found out about Six and Holiday? He's not going to like two MORE agents getting involved with each other, and I don't want to be kicked out right after another promotion!"

Excuses. Rex raised an eyebrow.

"Noah. FORGET about Knight. He'll get over it. I'm asking YOU."

So, it came to there. It came down completely to him. Noah couldn't get away this time.

He stared at Rex as he thought. It was long silence, but Rex didn't care. He'd stay there all night waiting for an answer. A real answer.

But that fact wouldn't stop his nerves from shaking any less. He still hoped that...

Finally, after a long silence, Noah murmured.

"...And if it doesn't work out, we'll forget it ever happened, right?"

Whoa. Was Noah actually...?

"Right." Rex nodded. He had to remember to breathe.

Noah paused to think about it again. He looked Rex straight in the eye.

With an exasperated breath, he admitted defeat.

"...Okay. But you know it's not going to work out."

A stupid grin of the stupidest grins broke out on Rex's face. He knew it. He knew it! He wanted to shout and yell. It was a victory in more ways than one. The best part was the prize.

"Well, I figure why not give it a shot," Rex put his arm around his upgraded friend, "See, that's what I like about you, Noah. You're always so optimistic. So, how about a kiss?"

"Don't push it."

Well, he felt lucky. He had to at least try.

* * *

><p>So, they got off to a shaky start. It was a slow process for Noah to settle into it, and Rex could understand that (it wasn't like it was he jumped on the idea the first time it came into his head). But, sometimes, just sitting around together, taking a break between everything else and just <em>knowing <em>they had this mutual understanding was enough.

Although, sometimes Noah forgot. Occasionally, when Rex would put an arm around him or lean against him, he'd tense for a moment until he remembered how things had changed. Rex would usually find it amusing, although sometimes it frustrated him. All he really wanted was for Noah to just trust him a little more, to trust themselves and what they now had.

Weeks went by, and they hadn't even kissed. However, Rex was surprisingly patient.

He didn't want to rush him. For the longest time, Noah had chased girls, and Rex knew it wasn't going to be easy for Noah to accept that he liked a _guy_(let alone the fact it was Rex) this time around. But Noah didn't push him away, so that meant something.

Still, Rex wished. Just something to make sure he wasn't the only one in it. Although he asked, he never really insisted...

* * *

><p>"Hey, Rex... Thanks for walking me back to my room..."<p>

"No sweat. Had to make sure you didn't pass out in the hall. You really served a huge helping of ownage today."

"Heh... Yeah, I totally did."

"How'd you know that car would explode?"

"I didn't."

"...And that's why all the other agents hate all your awesome."

Noah chuckled as Rex lead him onto his bed. They both sat down and Rex gently peeled off Noah's arm from around his shoulder.

"Man. I'm...Tired."

Noah leaned against Rex's shoulder. Rex smirked.

"Hey, don't lean on your injuries."

"...Yeah... Okay." Noah mumbled. He was halfway asleep. As Rex leaned Noah over his pillow, Noah caught his sleeve.

"Hey," He mumbled. "Thanks again, Rex..." Noah angled up and sleepily kissed his cheek, "I love you."

He settled back down and shut his eyes. Rex stared. He stared there for at least a minute, unable to process what Noah just actually did.

Then, he blushed. He blushed hard, completely taken aback and completely by surprise.

Love. Noah said "love." And on top of that, he kissed him! Maybe not in the way Rex really wanted but- still!

Noah said he loved him. He said it like he always said it. Like he always said that whenever he wanted. Like it was normal- an everyday sort of thing. Rex looked at him. He was completely asleep.

Love. …Love? Whoa.

...Yeah. That was actually about right. That was actually absolutely right. He was in love with this guy. Maybe not like chick-flick, roses and candy, singing-forever kind of love, but it was love. He was totally, stupidly, and cheesily head-over-heels crazy in love with his stupid jerkface of a best friend. Rex couldn't help a smile.

He turned and reached down to Noah's hands and pulled off his gloves. He pulled off Noah's shoes and unlatched his belt. Of everything Noah had to take off for the treatment of his wounds, his vest had been the only thing discarded (it had a pretty big-sized hole in it anyway). He quietly pulled up Noah's blanket over him and crouched down beside him.

Rex looked at him, kissed his cheek, and muttered, "Yeah. Love you, too."

He snuck out the door. An actual kiss- well, that could wait.

He waited for a month. Which was fine, since Noah wasn't able to get him anything else for Christmas anyway. Again. Oh well.

End extra.


End file.
